Mail-bag-transferring apparatus.



W. H. AKENS.

MAIL BAG TRANSFERHING APPARATUS.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I3. ISI?.

Patented Da. 25,1917.

W. H. AKENS.

MAIL BAG TRANSFERRING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-13.1917

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 wwjrwrmigilruifgigns, :QFSPYVILLE 'sTAT1oN, PENNSYLVANIA.

JqLiiagiQ-mmir'smigmne ,urgentie eluded ifi thenppammslptd afth ,trans- @heiem 'up and absorb of the bag las it 'content'.

#one eembgglimehtbfhementi@and there I esempl-eteupparafugmpffsaeffets e letter yglfoilp of Y devices, hereinafter :partfor memberspliojecting forwiidly co-l` gard lthe tr'ackgand th'eimembgef .11 andgthe beam; ,9j being further gcrfnectd by @bliebe- ,sltrle'p 12.' The projector isgmouhfted t0 ock bodily, forwardly fand bakvardlyj in "the, Y80

mally tends tSiiig backward awayffrom the trackyinto yits retracted 'or rear position,

's will b euridestood fromfFig, 5, `Stich tepid-95 ienfcy being .greatly increased when the added fweightfof ther bag is imposedfupon''the ptoojeetoniitselhby reason jof' itsft l* particular, .-molrmtino', f ust dreshciloed,l 'npr tor projector is preferably effected by means of a rocker 16, which co-acts directly with the base block 11 and is provided for that purpose with a cam 17, which is adapted to engage and depress the rounded upper end 18 of the 'block in advance of its pivots or trunnions 13, thereby causing an abrupt forward movement of the projector. The aforesaid block end 18 may, if desired, be equipped'with a, wear plate 19, which conforms lto the curvature of the block.

The rocker itself is actuated by means'of a lever mechanism, which, in turn, is operated by a member included in the car apparatus subsequently described, said rocker being pivoted at Q0, adjacent its lower end, to the front side of the frame or cage 6, so as to have a swinging movement of suflicient amplitude. This lever mechanism is preferably capable of operation foreither direction of travel ofthe car or train, and it is here shown as of a duplex character in which case the cam will likewise be of duplex formation, so as to permit the operative engagement of either of its extremities or working portions with the projector block 11. In the present or preferred construction, the duplex lever system comprises a pair of normally-upright levers 21 pivoted at 22, at their lower ends, to the front cage or frame side, and connected intermediate their ends with the upper end of the rocker by pivoted links 23, the upper end portions of said levers being slighly tapered and rounded.

The projectingr apparatus, as a whole, is

Alocated at the center of the cage or frame,

and at each side thereof there is disposed one of the receiving devices 8. These receiving devices are preferably in the form of trough-shaped cradles, which are arranged longitudinally in the space between the front and rear frame sides, `and are suspended from pairs of links 24, pivoted at their upper ends to the upper frame rails, and at their lower ends to the false or supporting bottoms 25, with which the cradles are provided, thereby permitting a free walls may be inclined upwardly toward the center of the cage, so that a bag, on falling upon the correspondingcradle will slide inwardlyA and` upwardly along the inclined bottom wall thereof, and the cradle, by reason of its suspension mounting, will be caused to swing in the same direction. The inner end walls of the cradles are, of course, of the saine height as the adjacent ends of their side walls, while the outer ends of the cradlesare open so as to permit the en trance of the bags, as will be understood.

The apparatus carried by the Car is preferably utilized both to support the inail-bag to be transferred,V and to actuate the lever system of the projector. In the construction illustrated, it comprises a horizontal shaft 26, which extends transversely across the upper portion of the door opening 15 and isjournaled at its ends in suitable bearings 27 alixed to the side members of the door frame, said shaft being equipped with a rigid, lateral arm 28, which is movable from an inoperative depending position, in which it hangs within the door opening, to a horizontal or operative position in which it pro- V jects outwardly through said opening, so as to strike against the upper portion of one or the other of the two operating levers 21, according to the direction'in which the car is moving. The said shaft may be rotated,

to bring said arm from inoperative to operative position, by means of a crank 29 (Fig. 2), affixed to the shaft near one side of the door frame, and is adapted to be ietained in disposition specified by a. spring 'catch 30,'which is attached to said frame side and is engageable over ,saidliandle.

At it free end, the'arm 28 has fixed thereto an open-bottoined box or housing 31,

wherein are pivoted the two bag-supporting members 32. These members are preferably in the form of angular hooks, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the pivot 'pins passing laterally through upstanding lugs 33, with which the inner wings of the hooks are provided. In 'the operative position of said i hooks, their inner wings are disposed horizontally, while their outer wings project upwardly and outwardly through the open ends of'the housing, so that either of said outer wings will thus form a support from which the mail-bag to be delivered at the station may be suspended, according` to the direction of travel of the car. The hooks are retained in their aforesaid operative position by means of a locking device, here in dotted lines in Fig. 7. it 4will engage over the then horizontal innerwings' of the hooks and prevent any pivotal movement thereof,

.thus holding, .tewater rinse in actin 0f supporting position; `but when ishifted to either side from such position, -said cam will release one or the other of the `hooks,ac cording :to its :direction Aot movement, whereupon the hook so released will irockyunder the weight of the'bag, into Vthe position shown in full lines in Figzf?, theibag falling from the hook as will be understood.

f The initial positioning; ofthe trip 36 and its cam 34, is effected by a manual movement of the former, the parts being held against displacement by engaging the trip with a shoulder 37 formed bv notching the enlarged end 38 of arm 2S, (Figs. 2 and 6). The release of the trip, however, takes place automatically, and is caused by the trip striking against the horizontal upper portion 40 of one or the other of a pair of impact bars 39, such action occurring just as the car passes the station. These bars 39 are here shown as of inverted L-shape, and as located at opposite ends of the frame or cage 6, their aforesaid horizontal portions 40 projecting over and across the adjacent end portions of the cradles and lying in the path of the upright trip 36, as shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, referring first to the apparatus on the car, the mail-bag to be delivered at the station is attached by its upper ring to one or the other of the previously-set hooks 32, according to the direction of travel of the car, and the shaft 26 is then rotated by means of its handle 29 to shift the arm 28 and the mail-bag suspended therefrom outwardly through the door opening into effective position, said shaft being held against displacement, atv the conclusion of such movement, by the engagement of the spring catch 30 with said handle. In the meanwhile at the station, the mail-bag to be transferred to the car is deposited in its trough-shaped support 10 on the projector 7, the latter then being in its normal, cocked or retracted position. As the car reaches the station apparatus, the nearer of the two impact bars 39 will strike against the upright trip 36 with its horizontal arm 40. and thereby rock the trip, so as to release the cam 34 from the loaded supporting hook 32. The bag then falls directly upon the inclined bottom wall of the cradle there beneath, and thereby causes said cradle to swing endwise upwardly and inwardly of the cage, the cradle thus being enabled to oppose a retarding force to the blow, which gradually brings the bag to rest.

Immediately after the removal of the carcarried bag takes place, the arm 28 comes into contact with the adjacent lever 21, forcing said lever to swing toward the projector, and transmitting such movement to the rocker 16 through the intermediate link connection 23. Assuming that the left-hand lever 21, (Fig. 3), has been operated in this ri'ghthand cam or cam endl-7 will ride across, and lpress :dowin upon 'the'v rounded Vends of the base block 111 yof the projector, f and said projector, in turn, will be caused Vto swing abruptly forward,thereby'hurling the mail-bag through the door opening into the car, Y `The projector then swings back Vvto its original position, returning the parts connected with it.

I claim as my invention l. A mail-bag receiving apparatus, comprising a cage disposed parallel with the car and having spaced front and rear sides; and a cradle arranged longitudinally in the space between said sides and suspended for free endwise movement in an inward and upward direction in said space, said cradle having'a bottom wall which is inclined upwardly from its outer to its inner end, and against which the bag delivered from the car is adapted to strike, whereby the cradle is caused to swing in such direction and to oppose a retarding force to the blow which gradually brings the bag to rest.

2. A mail-bag receiving apparatus, comprising a case disposed parallel with the car and having spaced front and rear sides; and a cradle arranged longitudinally in the space between said sides and suspended for free endwise movement in either direction in said space; said cradle being constructed of slats or strips of yielding material, and having a bottom wall which is inclined upwardly from its outer to its inner end, and against which the bag delivered from the car is adapted to strike, whereby the cradle is caused to swing in such direction and to opposera retarding force to the blow which gradually brings the bag to rest.

3. A mail-bag receiving apparatus, comprising a cage disposed parallel with the car and having spaced front and rear sides; and a cradle arranged longitudinally in the space between said sides and suspended for free endwise movement in said space in an inward and upward direction; said cradle having a flaring, open outer end and a relatively-narrow, vertical inner end wall, and having a bottom wall which is inclined upwardly from itsouter to its inner end, and against which the bag delivered from the car is adapted to strike, whereby the cradle is caused to swing in such direction and to oppose a retarding force to the blow which gradually brings the bag to rest.

4. A mail-bag receiving apparatus, comprising a cage disposed parallel with the car and having spaced front and rear sides; and a cradle arranged longitudinally in the space between said sides and suspended for free endwise movement in said space in an inward and upward direction; said cradle having a flaring open outer end, a vertical inner end Wall, and a Wall which is bottom 1 In 'testimony WhereofI have hereunto set inclined upwardly from its outer to its inner my hand in presence of two subscribing end and against which the bag delivered Witnesses.

from the car s adapted to strike, whereby WILLIAM H. AKEN S. 5 the cradle is caused to swing in such direc` Witnesses: y

tioneand to oppose a retardng force to the l H. A. WILKISON,

blow which gradually brings the bag to rest. C. I-I. AKENS.V

Copies of this patent may be obtained forr've cents each, by addressingIthe Commissioner of Iatentl.

Y Washington. D. C." y y 

